I wish to comment on your columnist Mark Anthony Falzon’s interesting piece, ‘No laptops please, we’re students’ (May 13).

I am sure Prof. Falzon, as head of the University’s Department of Sociology, is very knowledgeable about the development of society’s means of socialisation. So I ask him: can it be that today’s society’s addiction with social media is simply a new way of socialising? I believe this addiction to social media reflects society’s need to connect with people from all over the world.

But did society’s addiction with wanting to connect with the rest of the world result in the development of smartphones, laptops, tablets, and so on? Or was it the other way round?

As social beings, we are curious to know what the rest of the world is doing. What better than social media to achieve this?

It is no longer simply an issue of being able to know, but of wanting to know.

Nobody wants to feel cut off from the rest of the world. One can see this from the numerous comments, recommendations and shares on websites.

Many follow local and international news online, and even receive daily headlines via e-mail.

These are all means by which citizens feel more cosmopolitan, and not limited by the borders oftheir country.

Another important point is the modern world’s emphasis on time. Taking your time is no longer accepted in society.

Moreover, with the emphasis on freedom of speech, everyone’s opinion has become fundamental on the internet today.

This explains why people areconstantly giving their opinions on any subject, even one theyknow hardly anything about.

Which is the better option? A primitive society in which socialisation is based on face-to-face interaction? Or the modern world in which the idea of face-to-face discussion is becoming a thing of the past and all discussion takes place on the internet?

At the end of the day, the best option is always to find a balance, but it is never easy to find this between real social life and virtual social life.

Moreover, who is to blame for all this? Are we a product of capitalism, being forced into consuming what modern technology has to offer?

Or are we simply consuming these items for society’s well-being? And if we do not manage to find this balance, where will all this lead us one day? These are all questions which are very difficult to answer.